


Whose Sword?

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Series: Merlin Prompts [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Awesome Freya (Merlin), Canon Era, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Magic Revealed, Oblivious Arthur, Protective Knights (Merlin), Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23698600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: A relaxing trip to the Lake of Avalon, interrupted by Freya, who can't resist the opportunity to say Hello.
Relationships: Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Freya
Series: Merlin Prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706692
Comments: 22
Kudos: 817





	Whose Sword?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt from Lexi, hope you enjoy!

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the Lake of Avalon, it was that it had bad connotations. He still remembered kneeling in the sand, cradling Freya and begging her to come back to him. Shuddering, Merlin looked to the Knights that were playing in the water, acting like children. He was glad, they deserved a break, and they looked happy at the moment. It had been a rough patch, with Arthur convincing Morgana to come back to Camelot, and his early struggles as King.

It made sense that they had a Hunting trip, even if Merlin wasn’t too fond of the destination. He was preparing for the night, gathering firewood and wondering if they would notice if he used Magic to make a fire. He didn’t fancy swimming, not when he knew Freya would be close by. It was a weird relationship that he had with the Lady of the Lake, because she wasn’t the girl that had died, but she still looked the same.

He sighed, shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind and worked on trying to prepare camp by nightfall.

**

Arthur dunked under the water, let it wash away the sweat and grime from the ride. Merlin was off somewhere, probably being weird and talking to the rabbits, or whatever he usually did. He looked around to his Knights, to where Lancelot was trying to convince Gwaine to stop chasing the fish, Elyan was floating on the water’s surface and Leon and Percival were attempting to splash him.

They’d needed a break, things had been stressful with the laws on Magic being reversed, so his sister could come back to Camelot. Morgana was quiet, tried to avoid confrontation and looked awfully guilty whenever she and Merlin were in the same room, but Arthur didn’t ask.

‘Shit!’ He spun, halted when he saw what had startled Gwaine.

There was a Lady, sitting on a rock in the water, dressed entirely in white. She looked amused, her bright eyes staring first at Gwaine, then to Arthur, who glanced to the banks where he’d left his sword.

‘Arthur Pendragon, I wasn’t expecting you to bathe in my lake today.’ She had a voice that was eerily calm, eyes that were hauntingly empty, and a smile that he presumed fake. His men were moving backwards, to his side, apart from Gwaine. The drunkard was moving closer, the utter idiot, curious about the Lady.

‘State your name.’ He demanded, wondering if he’d look an idiot diving towards the bank to reach his sword. His Knights looked just as tense, all apart from Gwaine, who had halted before her, barely any distance between them, coking his head and offering out his hand.

‘Gwaine, Knight of Camelot, usually found in the Tavern.’ Arthur would smack him later, but the Lady just laughed, accepted his hand and shook it. Her hand was pale, as white as snow, but Gwaine didn’t seem bothered.

‘A pleasure to meet you, Sir Gwaine. I’m the Lady of the Lake.’ That stopped the group in their tracks, they had all heard the rumoured sightings of the Lady of the Lake, how she was associated with a mythical presence, a creature of Magic.

One that wasn’t trying to kill them, which was a change. At least, not yet, Arthur didn’t dare push his luck.

‘What’s your business here?’ Arthur tried again, then realised rather stupidly that this was her Lake, and they were the ones intruding. The woman looked across, a sincere smile on her face.

‘I wanted to meet you properly. I hear stories, but it’s nice to finally meet you. I see you brought my sword.’ Arthur almost choked, looked across to Excalibur, the sword he’d pulled from the rock. Her sword?

‘If it is your sword, then how did it get in the stone?’ Leon pointed out, and the Lady chuckled, shrugging slightly.

‘I had some help, with that part.’ Just before he could ask, there was a yelp, followed by the sound of logs falling. They turned to the bank, where Merlin was standing, a pile of firewood at his feet. But he wasn’t staring at it, his eyes were focused on the Lady.

‘Hello, Merlin.’ Now the smile was real, a shining in her eyes that, if Arthur didn’t know better, would call tears.

‘Freya.’

**

Merlin ignored his stubbed toe, watched as Freya vanished from the rock, reappearing in the shallow water. She walked across to him, the gown dripping wet, and Merlin stood hesitantly, unsure if he should go and greet her. Arthur was in the water, looking confused and possibly slightly angry, and Merlin didn’t know how best to avoid this confrontation.

‘You did not tell me your King was coming.’ She pointed out, glancing back to Arthur, and Merlin shifted slightly on the sand.

‘I didn’t know until this morning.’ Freya processed the words, then offered out her arms, and Merlin hugged her. It felt wrong, she wasn’t the Freya he’d lost, but it was nice to know that some part of her human-side remained.

‘Merlin, you didn’t tell me you were getting it on with the Lady of the Lake.’ Gwaine protested, trying to diffuse the tension with a joke, and Merlin could have kissed him. Or hugged him, that was probably more appropriate.

‘This is Freya. I knew her before she… died.’ He still flinched, and Gwaine strode from the water, soaked and wearing just his smallclothes, a sight that Merlin forced himself not to look at.

‘Want to explain this to us?’ Arthur gestured, following Gwaine’s lead, as did the rest of the Knights. Merlin looked back to the fire, then sighed. This wasn’t going to go very well.

**

Gwaine listened to the story, of a Druid girl that Merlin had rescued, had planned on running away with. They all sat around the fire, while Freya sat on the shore with her feet in the water, staring up at Merlin with an undying loyalty. Love, that was what they had. The way they looked between each other, looks that confused the others, who had never seen Merlin look at anyone that way.

The Knight didn’t look away from Merlin, even when the story turned dark, spoke of the curse that Freya had been burdened with, that Arthur’s sword had cut her fatally, and Merlin had carried her to the Lake. That she’d died, in his arms, and promised that she would repay him for his kindness.

‘So, I became the embodiment of the Lake, and assisted Merlin when your life was in peril. It was he who placed the sword into the Stone.’ Freya finished, heads swivelling back to Merlin, who looked to Arthur with such fear that even Gwaine felt it.

‘Forbearnan.’ Sparks from the fire formed an image, of the rock and the sword, of Merlin by its side.

‘Magic.’ Arthur muttered, staring at the dancing picture, then back to Merlin, who had his head bowed in shame.

Discreetly, Lancelot was moving himself in Merlin’s direction, like he would save him from any anger Arthur had. Gwaine didn’t do things discreetly, openly placed a hand over the hilt of his sword, waiting to see what the Princess would do.

Arthur looked hurt. Broken, almost, much like Merlin did.

‘You lied to me.’ The Princess never really showed emotion, but his voice was hoarse, eyes swimming in tears that Gwaine didn’t think would fall.

‘I had to protect you. I… I couldn’t make you choose, between me and the Law.’ Merlin was crying, but silently, and Gwaine was beginning to think that there was a lot more to this story than a Lady sitting in a Lake.

‘Would you ever have told me?’ Merlin looked away, the guilt answering the question.

‘I knew.’ Lancelot blurted out, then clapped a hand over his mouth, like he hadn't meant to let it slip out. Arthur’s head shot up, then looked to Merlin.

‘You told Lancelot and not me?’

‘He didn’t tell me, I saw him use it, to enchant the blade that killed the Griffin.’ Gwaine had heard the story, looked to Merlin, who was staring at Freya. The Lady rose up, gave the group a bright smile, then looked to Merlin.

‘My job is done. Call on me if you should ever need, Merlin.’ She walked back into the Lake, like it was a perfectly ordinary thing to do, and Merlin looked back to Arthur.

‘I’ll tell you everything.’ He eventually said, and Arthur nodded.

‘I’d expect nothing less.’

He didn’t miss the way Merlin’s smile returned, or the way Arthur rolled his eyes fondly.

**Author's Note:**

> If anybody wants any prompts, feel free to comment! :)


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